The toilet flushed, and the sink turned on, then she came out with a curious lift to her brow and her lips pursed. “It’s all in your room?” she asked slowly. I nodded, sure she was referring to her bags and toiletries. “You just”—she held her hands out to the sides—“moved me in with you?”
I smiled and walked toward her, letting her see the burning desire in my eyes. “You’ll be staying in my room, baby. Moving you in with me will happen soon.” I pinched her chin between my thumb and forefinger, lifting her face up to mine. “Real fucking soon.”
Dipping my head down, I covered her mouth with mine. The kiss got out of hand real fast, and in the blink of an eye, she had her legs wrapped around my waist and was pressed up against the wall. It was a fucking miracle I was able to slow it down and back off. But we needed to get back to the room and get ready for the day. We had shit to do.
I took her hand and led her across the room. She tugged on my arm, and I halted, turning around to see what she needed. “Yeah, baby?”
“I need to check out.” She gestured to the television, where they had an automated checkout system.
“Taken care of,” I mumbled as I trekked to the door and pulled it open.
“But…but…” Paisley stuttered as she tugged on my arm again. “I have to pay you back. Hey, how did you even know what name to give?”
I sighed and pivoted around, scooped her into my arms, and resumed walking to the elevator. “Research,” I grunted. That seemed to mollify her because she didn’t respond.
When we reached my room, the door was open, and I growled in annoyance at the sight of my brothers lounging around the space as though they owned it. I narrowed my eyes at Link, since he, of all people, should understand that I wanted some time alone with my woman. He grinned in reply, and I mouthed, “Fuck you,” which only made him laugh.
I set Paisley on her feet and pointed at the corner where I’d stowed her bags. “Why don’t you grab some stuff and go relax in a bath, baby,” I suggested softly. “I’ll get the riffraff out.”
She giggled and nodded, then padded over to one of her suitcases and tipped it down so she could unzip it. I spotted Dax’s eyes on her ass and punched him on the arm in the perfect spot to make it numb and useless. “Eyes to yourself, motherfucker,” I growled.
He winced but didn’t say anything. He deserved it, and he knew it.
“Hack?” Paisley drew my gaze to where she was digging through a pile of clothes.
“Yeah, baby?”
“I can’t find my necklace.”
“The one with the purple butterfly?” I asked.
“Yes.” She began tossing everything behind her, and her expression was becoming more worried. “It was my mom’s and—”
“Calm down, baby,” I soothed as I marched over to her and crouched down to pull her into my arms. “You’ve worn it so many times that I knew it was important, so I found it in your suitcase and stowed it in the safe.”
Her face filled with relief, and her tense shoulders drooped. “Oh, thank goodness. I—” She stopped suddenly and raised her eyes to meet mine. They were wary but also curious as she studied me. “How did you know I wear it all the time?”
Son of a fucking bitch.
No sooner had Paisley voiced the question than we heard a lot of shuffling and fast footsteps before the door slammed shut. Cowards.
7
Paisley
Hack’s explanation for how he knew I loved French toast had been a stretch, but I believed him since I figured a hacker could get all kinds of details off receipts and stuff. I almost always had bread, eggs, milk, and syrup in my house. Plus, it wasn’t unusual for me to order French toast on the rare times I went out for breakfast, so it wasn’t a leap to assume it was one of my favorite foods. But I couldn’t come up with a reasonable story for why he’d know how often I wear my mom’s butterfly necklace. Passing his knowledge of me off as research only went so far...no matter how good of a kisser Hack was or how easily he made me come.
Staring up at him, I braced myself for his answer. With the way the guys had left as soon as I’d voiced my concern, I expected it to be pretty bad. Hack’s hold on me tightened, and I wondered if he thought I was going to run when I heard what he had to say. “How do you know so much about me, Hack?”
“I’ve been obsessed since I first laid eyes on you.” His tone was gritty and raw, sounding as though the words were being ripped from him. “I was digging into David Clark’s past and felt like I’d been punched in the chest when I pulled up your photo. Wanted to hunt the motherfucker down and murder him when I found out how you’d been threatened to keep quiet. It fucking killed me to let Breaker be the one to take you back to your place after you saw him die. To stay away from you until the time was right. But I couldn’t stay away completely. I had to know you were safe, and seeing you helped keep me from losing my fucking mind.”
His response blew me away. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting to hear, but it wasn’t that he had become fixated on me just from seeing my picture. Or that he’d been biding his time for six months and watching me while doing it. “Right for what?”
“For you to be ready for me, baby.” He cupped my face in his palms, his lips
